The present invention relates to a reverse staggered type silicon thin film transistor.
Research and development of a silicon thin film transistor as an active matrix type liquid crystal display device and a photosensor has been widely carried out.
FIG. 4 shows the above-described silicon thin film transistor, which includes an insulating substrate 1, a gate electrode 2 thereon, a gate insulating layer 3 thereon, a silicon film 4 thereon, an n-type silicon film 5 thereon and containing a suitable amount of n-type impurities, and a source electrode 6 and a drain electrode 7 thereon.
The transistor is formed such that gate electrode 2, and source electrode 6 and drain electrode 7, have gate insulating layer 3 and silicon film 4 between them. Moreover, gate electrode 2 is formed at a side or portion of insulating substrate 1, in relation to source electrode 6 and drain electrode 7, which side is denoted as a reverse staggered type silicon thin film transistor.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show two different static characteristics which vary as to the time of light illumination of the reverse staggered type silicon thin film transistor having the above-described structure. In the abscissa is shown a gate voltage Vg, and in the ordinate, a drain current Id, and the drain voltage Vd is 7.5 (V). In both instances, the silicon films 4 are made of amorphous silicon formed by the plasma CVD method, and the film forming temperatures T of the silicon films 4 are 250.degree. C. (FIG. 5) and 350.degree. C. (FIG. 6). The film thickness in either case is 150 (nm).
As is evident from a review of both figures, in the case where the silicon film was formed at 350.degree. C. (FIG. 6), both the on-current and off-current are higher. In a usual thin film transistor, it is preferable that the ratio of the on-current and off-current is as large as possible. However, in the case of the transistor shown in FIG. 5, the on-current is small, and in the case of the transistor shown in FIG. 6, the off-current is large, so that the characteristics of either transistor are not satisfactory.